there extends, in a southerly direction, a very expansive plain devoid
of any sort of vegetation except some mimosas. This is the beginning of
the “fírki” ground, which comprises so large a space in the southern
regions of Bórnu, and of which I have repeatedly spoken on former
occasions; but the plantation of the _Holcus cernuus_, called “másakwá”
or “mósogá” (which is limited to this peculiar territory), had not
turned out well this year, in consequence of the scarcity of rain.
I had marched in advance with my camel, when the vizier got sight of me,
and begged me to come to the sheikh. After having saluted me in the most
friendly way, he asked me why I always wore my pistols in my belt round
the waist, instead of fixing them at the saddle-bow; but he praised my
foresight when I appealed to the example of Ráís Khalíl, who, when
thrown from his horse, on his unlucky expedition to Mándará, remained
without a weapon in his hand. However, he was of opinion that at
present, with such a large army, no danger of this kind was to be
feared. He showed me also, in the most flattering manner, that he had
imitated my example of having my chronometer continually girded around
my waist; and he assured me that he found it very convenient.
The troop was here proceeding in stately order, and a broad line of
battle deployed, one officer, with the title of jérma, riding in
advance, and being followed by the four fan-bearers of the sheikh, in
full array; but a little further on, a small tract of underwood
compelled them to change their order of march, and proceed in one long
line. The vizier was kind enough to send me a message to the effect that
I had better get in front, so as not to be in the midst of the
confusion.
The place of encampment was chosen on the north-west side of the town of
Márte; and when the sheikh had dismounted, in order to take possession
of the mat house which had been prepared for him, the whole host of
cavalry galloped up in the fiercest manner, before I was able to get out
of their way, so that I received a very severe shock from a horseman,
who struck against me with great violence.
In the afternoon my friend and companion on my journey to Ádamáwa,
Kashélla Bíllama, called on me; and we mounted on horseback, in order to
pay a visit to the market, which is held every Friday outside the
western gate of the town, where an open area surrounded by several wells
spreads out. But the market, at least that day, was very insignificant:
it was not furnished with a single shed or stall, and not a single
article of manufacture was exposed, Negro millet, butter, and wooden
bowls being almost the only articles offered for sale; and sellers, as
well as buyers, were very few in number. The town contains about four
thousand inhabitants, and, taking into account the strategetical art of
this country, possesses proper defences, the clay wall being in a good
state of repair, and having a gate on each side excepting the side of
the market, where there are two. Towards the east there is a little
cultivated ground, and on the north a small suburb, consisting of large,
conical, thatched huts, where, besides Kanúri, several Fúlbe or Felláta
families are living. The interior of the town consists of narrow lanes;
and most of the houses are clay buildings. There was nothing interesting
to be seen; but I was agreeably surprised when my companion, who was a
native of this place, took me to pay my compliments to his mother, who
kept a small shed, or rather, as we should say, a shop, in the little
market-place inside the town. It was certainly a trait of a good-natured
and friendly disposition.
We remained here the following day; but our stay was not at all
pleasant, there being very little shade near the encampment, while our
tents were so worn that they scarcely afforded any protection against
the sun. Owing to the smallness of my means, I had been obliged to leave
my large tent, in Kúkawa.
[Sidenote: Sunday, Nov. 30th.]
The following morning I was obliged to remain behind the army a
considerable time, in order to allow the air to acquire a more genial
temperature. I enjoyed the more the beautiful morning, although the
country did not possess many attractions. Here, also, it exhibited that
black boggy soil, called “fírki,” which is peculiar to the southern
parts of Bórnu, though near the village of Little Márte, or “Márte
ghaná,” some slight variation was seen, in a crop of Indian corn or
“holcus” still standing in the fields; the ears, however, were quickly
plucked off by the undisciplined army. Further on I reached a group of
villages ornamented by a cluster of beautiful tamarind-trees, and here
lay down awhile to enjoy the delicious shade. Numbers of people were
resting here and there, in order to partake of the hospitality of the
villagers; for, to the ruin of the country there is no commissariat in
these armies to provide for the wants of the private individual, and
every one must supply himself with food in the best manner he can.
Our march, however, was very short, the encampment having been chosen on
the west side of the town of Alá. This town also is of some importance,
and surrounded by a wall in good repair, with two gates on the north and
west sides and only one on the south and east. The interior is enlivened
by large trees, consisting of chédia (elastic gum), and kúrna trees,
while the huts are remarkable for their high conical roof, the thatch of
which, in a great many instances, is interlaced by the clasps of the
_Cucurbita lagenaria_, the whole looking very cheerful. The sheikh
having requested me repeatedly to give my compass up to him, as he
imagined it would be sufficient for one of us to possess such an
instrument, I thought it prudent to offer him my musical-box as a
present, remarking that I would willingly give away such articles, but
not scientific instruments. Several hares had been caught in the course
of the day; and in the evening we had some of them very palatably
dressed by the experienced female slave of Lamíno.
[Sidenote: Monday, December 1st.]
Soon after starting, early in the morning we had to traverse some
underwood, which caused a great rush and much confusion among the
undisciplined army, so that two or three horsemen were seriously
injured. On such occasions, as well as in the thick covert of the
forest, I had full opportunity of testing the valuable properties of the
Arab stirrups, which protect the whole leg, and, if skilfully managed,
keep every obtruder at a respectful distance; indeed I am almost sure
that if, on these my African wanderings, I had made use of English
stirrups I should have lost both my legs. Our way afterwards led over
monotonous fírki ground, where we were cheered by the sight of some fine
crops of sorghum. Detached hamlets were seen in every direction, even
where the country did not present any traces of cultivation; but, with
the exception of the Shúwa villages, this province does not contain many
small hamlets, the population being concentrated in larger places.
Underwood succeeded to the fírki ground, and extended to the very walls
of the large town of Díkowa.
The sight of this town, with its walls over-towered by the regularly-
shaped crowns of magnificent fig-trees, was very imposing. The western
wall, along which our road lay, was covered with women and children, and
we met a numerous procession of females in their best attire, who were
going to salute their sovereign upon his arrival at the encampment; and
coming from the capital, which is distinguished by the ugliness of its
female inhabitants, I was agreeably surprised at their superior
countenance and figure. But though the observer might be gratified with
the personal appearance of the natives, their industry was questionable;
for only a small tract of cultivated ground was to be seen on this side
of the town, girt by a forest of mighty trees.
The encampment, or “ngáufate,” began to form close to the southern wall
of the town, amidst sandy ground free from trees, and completely
surrounded by a thick covert. Although it was December, the sun was very
powerful; and, until the camels arrived, I sat down in the shade of a
“bíto” or _Balanites_, while the encampment was spreading out in all
directions, and approached the edge of the covert. I then gave up my
shady place to Kashélla Játo, an officer of the musketeers, who, in
acknowledgment, offered me a clear piece of delicious gum, just taken
from the tree and full of sweet fluid; in which state it is certainly a
delicacy, and is so esteemed here as well as in Western Negroland. The
encampment springing up gradually from the ground, with its variety of
light dwellings built only for the moment—the multifarious appearance of
armed people—the numbers of horses of all colours, some of the most
exquisite beauty—the uninterrupted train of beasts of burden, camels,
and pack-oxen, laden with the tents, furniture, and provisions, and
mounted by the wives and concubines of the different chiefs, well
dressed and veiled,—altogether presented a most interesting picture; for
now almost the whole host or “kebú,” had collected, and twenty thousand
men, with ten thousand horses, and at least as many beasts of burden,
were no doubt assembled on this spot.
At length our two tents also were pitched, and we could make ourselves
as comfortable as the scanty shade which they afforded allowed us.
In the evening our conversation with the vizier turning upon the means
which remained for Bórnu to attain once more to her former greatness,
these devastating expeditions and slave-hunts fell under discussion; and
I took the liberty to indicate, in opposition to such a system, the
necessity of a well-established government, with a strong military force
capable of extending their dominion. I also called the attention of the
vizier to the point, that, as they could never rely upon the Turks, who
might easily cut off all supplies of foreign merchandise, it was greatly
to their interest to keep open to themselves that large river which
passed a short distance to the south of their dominions, and which would
enable them to supply themselves with every kind of European manufacture
at a much cheaper rate than they were able to obtain them by the
northern route. He did not hesitate to throw the whole blame upon the
former sultans; but those poor men, when they possessed the dominion of
the Kwána tribe, probably had no idea that the river which ran through
their territory joined the sea; and even if they had, the relation
between Islám and Christianity at that period was of so hostile a
character, that, for the very reason that this stream might open to the
Christians a more easy access to their country, they shunned any nearer
connection with it as dangerous. However, under the present entirely
altered state of affairs, there is no question that an energetic native
chief, basing his power on a supply of European merchandise, as
facilitated by the river Bénuwé, might easily dominate a great part of
Central Africa; but energy is just the very thing these people are
wanting in.
From this point of our discourse there was an easy transition to that of
the abolition of slavery; and here my late lamented friend Mr. Overweg
made a most eloquent speech on this important question. The vizier could
not bring forward any other argument in his defence, than that the
slave-trade furnished them with the means of buying muskets; and,
lamentable as it is, this is certainly the correct view of the subject,
for even on the west coast the slave-trade originated in the cupidity of
the natives in purchasing the arms of Europeans. Such is the history of
civilization! If the poor natives of Africa had never become acquainted
with this destructive implement of European ingenuity, the slave-trade
would never have reached those gigantic proportions which it has
attained. For at first the natives of Africa wanted firearms as the
surest means of securing their independence of, and superiority over,
their neighbours; but in the further course of affairs, these
instruments of destruction became necessary, because they enabled them
to hunt down less favoured tribes, and, with a supply of slaves so
obtained, to procure for themselves those luxuries of European
civilization with which they had likewise become acquainted. This is the
great debt which the European owes to the poor African, that after
having caused, or at least increased, this nefarious system on his first
bringing the natives of those regions into contact with his state of
civilization, which has had scarcely any but a demoralizing effect, he
ought now also to make them acquainted with the beneficial effects of
that state of society. Entering, therefore, into the views of our hosts,
I told them that their country produced many other things which they
might exchange for firearms, without being forced to lay waste the whole
of the neighbouring countries, and to bring misery and distress upon so
many thousands.
I informed them of the last negotiations of Her Britannic Majesty’s
messengers with the king of Dahomé, when our friend, listening with the
greatest interest to the account of these noble endeavours of Her
Majesty’s government, which he could not but admire, declared, in the
most distinct manner, that if the British government were able to
furnish them with a thousand muskets and four cannons, they would be
willing to subscribe any obligatory article for abolishing the slave-
trade in their country—of course not including, all at once, domestic
slavery; for such a measure would scarcely be feasible in a country
where all the relations of domestic life are based upon this system. But
the abolition of the foreign slave-trade would be the beginning of a
better system. However, I told them that, supposing Government were to
entertain such a proposal, the first thing for them to do was to open
themselves a road to the river Bénuwé, as it would be difficult, not
only with respect to the state of the country to be traversed, but also
on account of the suspicions of the Turks, to provide them with such a
military store by way of the desert. But at present this whole question
has been superseded; the vizier himself has succumbed, and his master,
the sheikh ʿOmár, although he has been fortunate enough once more to
usurp the sovereign authority, seems scarcely sufficient to hold out any
guarantee of the stability of his dynasty. Moreover, the slave-trade at
present is, in fact, abolished on the north coast; and this circumstance
must eventually exercise a great influence over the destinies of Bórnu,
on account of its central situation, especially if at length a regular
intercourse be established on the river Bénuwé.
It was our lot to remain here several days; for while the Kanúri people,
who were expected to join the expedition, had already assembled in
sufficient numbers, only a very small portion of the indigenous Arab or
Shúwa population had as yet come up; for almost all of them live in the
south-eastern parts of the country, where they have taken possession of
the deserted seats of former tribes, which were annihilated or weakened
in the relentless wars between Islamism and Paganism.
On the first day of our arrival, our encampment was very comfortable;
but every day that we stayed here it became more confined, owing
principally to the numerous cavalry of these Arab tribes, almost all of
whom are mounted; and many a new-comer was seen hurrying about without
being able to find a spot to lie down, or to meet with friends to treat
him. I myself had to entertain a respectable man among these Shúwa, of
the name of Háj Hamadán, belonging to the tribe of the Hasúnna.
This man, who generally had his settlement far to the east, in the Wádi
Guskáb, had come some time previously to Logón in order to pay a visit
to some relations of his, and had now joined this expedition. But one
must be very careful with these Shúwa; for, to use a common expression,
if you give them an inch, they are wont to take an ell. But for their
Jewish character, I should have liked to enter into more intimate
relations with them than I actually did.
Their emigration into these regions, at least several centuries ago, is
certainly not without interest; and, as I have already had occasion to
observe in another place, they preserve the characteristic type of their
race very distinctly—a middle-sized, slender figure (which, however, is
apt to become fuller as they advance in years), small pleasing features,
and a dark olive complexion. Their dialect is very peculiar; and while
it lays claim to a far greater purity than belongs to the dialects of
the coast, by the profusion of vowels which it has preserved, its
character is deteriorated, and becomes nearly ridiculous, by the
continued repetition and insertion of certain words. A Shúwa is not able
to say three words without inserting his favourite term “kúch, kúch,”
which corresponds to the English word “thorough,” but which is not
Arabic at all. When they omit the word “kúch,” they make use of another
term, “bérketek,” “your worship,” which at once bears testimony to the
servile and degraded position which they occupy in Negroland, although
in Bórnu they are still treated with some indulgence and lenity,
especially since the time when Mohammed Tiráb, the father of the present
vizier, who belonged to the tribe of the Sálamát, attained the highest
degree of power and influence in the country. In Wadáy again, even at
the present time, they are treated very badly.
Of Kanúri people, besides a few smaller bodies of troops, only two
officers, or kashéllas, ʿAli Marghí and Jérma, were wanting. All the
officers and bodies of troops on this side of the komádugu of Bórnu, the
so-called Yeou, were collected together, the only exception being
Kashélla Mánzo, my hospitable host in Zurríkulo, whose presence at his
post was required on account of the Tawárek; for, as regards the
officers and chiefs of the provinces on the other side of the komádugu,
nobody is required to take part in these expeditions of the sheikh,
every officer remaining at his post, except when his master enters upon
a war in his own quarters.
While the encampment itself presented considerable interest, as being
the temporary abode of so many people, the town of Díkowa, near which we
were encamped, seemed well deserving some attention, as having been
repeatedly the residence of the rulers of the country, and being still
one of the largest towns in the kingdom. I therefore paid a visit to it
in the afternoon of the second day of our stay, being accompanied by my
friend Bíllama. We entered the town by the western gate; and I saw that
the walls were about thirty feet high and terraced on the inside like
those of the capital, and of considerable breadth at the base: they were
in a state of good repair. I was struck by the height and round shape of
the huts, which entirely wanted the characteristic top, or, as the
Kanúri people call it, kógi ngímbe, and were of the same kind as I had
observed in the other towns of this southern province. Every hut had its
little courtyard, in some of which vegetation was seen, mostly karás.
The further we proceeded, the more I was pleased with the general
appearance of the town, the exterior of which had made a favourable
impression upon me on our first arrival. Large, beautiful, wide-
spreading fig-trees, ngábore, chédia or elastic gum-trees, and kórna-
trees, spread their shade all around, and two or three isolated papaw-
trees, or, as the Kanúri call them, bambús-másarbe, with their
remarkable feathery crowns and their smooth virgin-like stems, formed a
lively contrast to the broad-leafed canopy of the other trees, while the
hedges and fences of the courtyards were partly enlivened by a luxurious
creeper called “dagdágel” by the natives. The real nucleus of the town
seemed to consist entirely of clay houses.
After a very pleasant ride we reached the house of the “mainta,” or
governor, who still enjoys a certain degree of independence. The chief
ornament of the place in front of his house was the most splendid
caoutchouc-tree I have ever seen; indeed I can scarcely imagine that the
diameter of its crown, which was so regularly and symmetrically shaped
that it appeared as if effected by art, measured less than from seventy
to eighty feet. It really formed a beautiful fáge, or, as the Háusa
people call it, íchenbatú, or open council-hall, such as are common in
these places; but at present no political business of any importance was
transacted here, and it formed a favourite lounge for idle people,
amongst whom there was a troop of musicians, playing lustily upon their
instruments to console the petty chief for the loss of his former power,
which had dwindled away to a mere shadow. I would gladly have paid him a
visit; but, poor as I was at the time, and without a single article
worthy of his acceptance, I was rather glad that I was under no
obligation to him. The interruption in the daily course of life of the
inhabitants, by the presence of the army, was the more to be lamented as
it prevented me from becoming an eye-witness to the chief industry of
the natives, which consists in weaving and manufacturing into shirts the
cotton which they grow; for they are almost exclusively cotton-growers,
and have very little corn. But although they are able to produce a fine
sort of texture, they are very badly off for dyeing, and in this respect
are far outstripped by the inhabitants of Ujé and Mákari. Instead of the
beating of shirts, which forms so pleasant a sound in many other
industrial towns of Negroland, there was nothing to be heard but the
sound which proceeded from the powder-mill, if I may be allowed to give
this grand name to a yard in which eight slaves were employed in
pounding powder in large wooden mortars; for this is the way in which
powder is prepared in Negroland, and during my stay in Bagírmi every
time I had my coffee pounded (as I did not possess a coffee-mill), I
excited the suspicion that I was preparing powder. Of course the
presence of the army was the reason why so little activity was to be
seen at present, and the little market, or durríya, which is held in the
afternoon, was very badly attended; but the size and populousness of the
town made such an impression upon me, that I thought myself justified in
rating the number of inhabitants at about twenty-five thousand.
Altogether I was so much pleased with the character of the place, that
on expressing my satisfaction to one of the inhabitants who came to
salute my companion, with the words, “Átema bílla ngílla,” “This is a
fine town,” he replied, with conscious pride, “Áte bílla déka gení, áte
bílla maíwa,” “This is not a country town; this is a royal residence.”
We reached the gate on the north-west side of the town, just at the
moment when ʿAbd e’ Rahmán, the eldest brother of the sheikh ʿOmár,
arrived with a party of horsemen. What his business was I do not know;
but before the expedition left the town, there had been a great many
unfavourable rumours concerning his ambitious designs, and the
malcontents expected that he would avail himself of this opportunity for
striking a blow at the vizier, in order to prevent the expedition from
proceeding against Mándará, as he himself was supposed to be on friendly
terms with the chief of that country. But whatever may have been his
intentions, he found his rival still too strong; and, after a friendly
parting from his brother, he retraced his steps.
The view over the encampment, which presented itself when from the north
I turned to the south-west side of the town, was extremely interesting;
and I kept along the higher ground formed by the rubbish which had
accumulated at the foot of the wall. Tents of every description and
size—light sheds constructed with the long stalks of Indian corn,
supported by four poles, and connected lightly at the top and forming
high-topped gables—horses and men, all in the greatest confusion,
presented a busy scene of animated life; but the place where our tents
were pitched had become so confined, that I was glad to avail myself of
any opportunity which presented itself of roving about in the
neighbourhood.